Introduction

Hello and Welcome to The Fibro Diaries! My name is Debra. I have Fibromyalgia (sounds like the beginning of an AA meeting!).

I was first diagnosed with FMS in Feb. 2006, 9 months after I had back surgery for a pinched sciatic nerve in my right leg. Fibro often appears strongest after a traumatic event, such as surgeries, car accidents, emotional trauma. I suspect that I really had been experiencing symptoms of it after my car accident in 1998, but just never knew what it was. I had been sick for a long time - bosses complained, family complained...I complained. I always had 'something' that kept me sick and tired and unable to be the those things that others needed me to be.

I have been a single mom since 1998, having been married twice, with 3 fantastic boys. My oldest is 26, and currently living at home; the middle child - our responsible one - is serving in the Army Reserves in Georgia; and the youngest is just starting high school. We also have one cat - or rather a cat that thinks she's the baby, Missy. She is my baby - my confidant, my cuddler. We live in a tiny 2-bedroom apartment in a small town that seems to be growing every time I turn around. We may not have much but we're happy and close.

I have a fantastic job and a wonderful boss who makes is possible for me to continue to be independent - something we FMS sufferers have a difficult time with. I can honestly say that I LOVE my job and that is something not everyone has in life. I believe in the passion and purpose of my job with Design-her Gals, to raise funds and awareness for stage IV breast cancer. My auntie died from Breast cancer - and many members of my family, including my father - currently suffer from one form of cancer or another. I have never been much of a "cause" supporter (other than my own), but this is one I firmly believe in - as it is close to my heart.

The year after being diagnosed with FMS was one of the hardest I've ever had to deal with on a personal level. Learning to accept that you have a chronic illness, amongst other medical issues, is challenging at best. It changes your life, the way you look at the world and yourself. I have come to accept it now but I am still learning to live with it - its a daily struggle, one I share with many other women and men out there.

The purpose of this diary is two-fold: 1) to educate the "normals" about what it is like to live with this illness. So many people believe that we are lying or faking - we don't have any obvious outward signs of being disabled or sick. I hope that through a peek into what I suffer - what many of us suffer each day - others who do not have this illness will be educated in empathy for this illness you cannot 'see'. 2) to empower those of us who have FMS to support one another, to share our stories, our little 'miracles', our suggestions and information. There are so many women out there who suffer in darkness and feel that something is wrong and no one knows how they feel - only that their lives are miserable and they feel miserable. I hope to be able to reach these women - to help them see that there ARE others who suffer with them, who DO feel as they do, and to know they aren't alone..ever!

Comments - I welcome them. However, I will screen them first. Through experience, there are many who only wish to post comments in order to harm, hurt, or make others feel rotten. We suffer enough and if that is your intention, I will not post your comments. But if you disagree with what I'm saying, the information I present, and can do so in a constructive way that isn't set out to 'attack' anyone, then these comments will I gladly post, as well as all the positive and caring comments that come through (if any!).

Please know that I do not post anything here to discriminate, slander, harm or hurt, or otherwise mislead anyone. These are my personal observations, choices, feelings, and the information that I've gathered in my research into this illness. I make no claims by any means that this is the ONLY viewpoint out there or the only information available, and anything I post here should NEVER be taken in lieu of a doctor or therapist's advice.

Once again, I welcome you to The Fibro Diaries and truly hope you will find knowledge, comfort, and support in these pages.

~Debra